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Did you know copyright is automatic? (I had to explain this to someone the other day.) From http://copyright.gov/:

When is my work protected?

Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

Do I have to register with your office to be protected?

No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work...

Why should I register my work if copyright protection is automatic?

Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within five years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law...

Here > http://copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#mywork

Be well,

Chuck

315 template files in 19 different categories -- Everything from brochures, newsletters, and direct mail to packaging, calendars, and books (one CD works with both Mac and PC). Use two or three files and you'll pay for the entire book and disc...

For Adobe InDesign

Here > http://www.ideabook.com/the_indesign_ideabook_59.html

For QuarkXPress

Here > http://www.ideabook.com/quarkxpress_templates.html

Cast your logos in motion

The trend is motion. Watch how designers are adding new depth to static marks.

A collection from HOW Design...

Here > http://www.howdesign.com/featured/animated-logos/

Another excellent collection from BP&O...

Here > http://bpando.org/2014/10/14/the-best-of-bpo-animated-logos/

From Alexandre Azevedo's Pinterest page: Motion Graphics-Logo Animation...

Here > https://www.pinterest.com/trooper7/motion-graphics-logo-animation/

Feeling down?

Watch this...

Here > https://images.plurk.com/eW1zZJI5X.gif

The reports of paper's death have been greatly exaggerated

The Paper and Packaging Board, a group of paper manufacturers, is making the case for paper. Here's how they describe the big picture:

"Paper and packaging products are an integral part of our lives. They give us an outlet for our creativity. They help us solve problems and learn about the world around us. They connect us in personal, meaningful ways. And they help us make important contributions to a more sustainable future."

Yes, this is a commercial promotion, but the argument has merit. As I have said (ad nauseam), there is more to marketing that digital ads, apps, and analytics. When fewer people are using a medium such as direct mail, there's an opportunity to make a bigger splash with fewer dollars.

Thanks to Karla Humphrey for pointing us to it.

The How life unfolds website...

Here > http://www.howlifeunfolds.com/

The Paper and Packaging Board's Annual Back-to-School Report (3.5MB PDF)...

Here > http://howlifeunfolds.com/app/uploads/2015/07/2015-Back-to-School-Report.pdf

The Paper and Packaging Board website...

Here > http://www.paperandpackaging.org/

From the Washington Post: Take note: The paper industry is planning a big comeback...

Here > http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/paper-or-pixels-after-years-of-decline-the-paper-industry-tries-to-win-back-consumers-hearts/2015/07/29/c942d6f0-3213-11e5-97ae-30a30cca95d7_story.html

What the current crop of presidential candidates (and their campaign operatives) know about branding:

[Crickets chirping]

I'm trying to figure out why the 2016 Presidential campaign logos are so poorly designed-every one of them (to me) has significant problems.

Is it because the politicians are making the choices? Are their grade school kids doing the designing? Do they think its unimportant?

Here > http://www.pageplane.com/marketing_pr/presidential-campaign-logos-2016.html

What's your theory?

Are you a graphic designer? You owe it to yourself to keep up with these rumblings of new copyright reforms...

To that end, I received this message fro the American Society of Media Photographers regarding their efforts to be sure the next go-round represents small businesses.

"ASMP Responds to Copyright Office Notice of Inquiry

Late yesterday, ASMP submitted our response to the April 24, 2015 U.S. Copyright Office Notice of Inquiry, which set out to review "how certain visual works, particularly photographs, graphic artworks, and illustrations are monetized, enforced and registered under the Copyright Act."

Our response focused on several critical areas including:

The need for effective remedies, such as a specialized Copyright Small Claims Court, to counterbalance the rampant infringement of photographic works that involve sums too small to justify litigation in federal Court.

Flaws in DMCA take-down procedures that protect infringers while placing an undue burden on rightsholders.

The aggregation of visual content by technology companies that amass venture funding and advertising revenues without returning any share to the visual creators whose work they are capitalizing on.

The reliance on expanded interpretations of the Fair Use doctrine as justification for widespread appropriation and misuse of copyrighted works.

Extensive client, event and venue demands for Work Made For Hire and Copyright Transfer as contractual workarounds to bypass the intent of Copyright and traditional licensing models.

Challenges posed by the registration process including the confusing rules surrounding the separation of and distinction between published and unpublished works and the lack of an effective API that would allow third party software developers to create drag and drop registration from within photo editing applications."

The ASMP Advocacy Alert page on Copyright Reform...

Here > http://asmp.org/copyrightreform

The Next Great Copyright Act by The Next Great Copyright Act by Maria A. Pallante (311KB PDF)...

Here > http://www.copyright.gov/docs/next_great_copyright_act.pdf

Copyright Society of the USA's New York Chapter presents: If I Ran The Zoo: Probing The Contours Of "The Next Great Copyright Act" (video)...

Here > http://isoc-ny.org/p2/6610

I've hosted my websites on Media Temple for many years

It's interesting to read something about its culture...

Here > http://blog.invisionapp.com/inside-design-media-temple/

Meet illustrator Minna Sundberg

Minna Sundberg is know for her online "comics" but here I want to point you to her talent for composition and great skill with typography. She is a true graphic designer.

Example 1...

Here > http://www.sssscomic.com/comicpages/196.jpg

Example 2...

Here > http://sssscomic.com/comicpages/118.jpg

Example 3...

Here > http://www.sssscomic.com/comicpages/12.jpg

Minna Sundberg's "Stand Still. Stay Silent" website...

Here > http://www.sssscomic.com/

She also authored and illustrated "A Redtail's Dream"...

Here > http://www.minnasundberg.fi/artd.php

A detailed look at her coloring process in Photoshop...

Here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiGc_0IOU8Y

Are you proofing the science of what you show?

A saw yet another example of this same problem last week-an illustrator used gears to symbolize how uniformly a process was working when, in reality, they were showing a set of gears that were locked tight.

I point you to these examples of illustrations that are not scientifically feasible as a reminder that you've got to proof the concepts and ideas as vigorously as you proofread the words.

Gears that won't turn (the top three)...

Here > https://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/cogsv4.gif

The whole article: Whoops! Blunders and Mistakes of Science and Engineering compiled by Donald Simanek...

Here > https://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/whoops.htm

Check out the Briefing Archive...

Here > http://www.ideabook.com/tutorials/1_view/chuck_greensdesign_briefing_ar.html